Installation & First Impressions of the EG4 6000XP Inverter
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- Join me as I embark on a test run of the EG4 6000XP inverter by installing it on my test wall to explore its functionality firsthand. This video captures my initial curiosity to understand how this inverter operates. As I delve into this experiment, I'll share my thoughts and observations along the way, providing valuable insights into the capabilities of the EG4 6000XP. Whether you're considering investing in a similar inverter or simply curious about renewable energy solutions, come along for this hands-on exploration of off-grid technology.
Update: Based on some comments from a commercial electrician (thank you Markus), I'll be removing the portion of the video from 14:32-15:35 regarding using the flex conduit as the "ground". That's no longer allowed by code (it can only be used if "the circuit conductors contained in the conduit are protected by overcurrent devices rated at 20 amperes or less."). A ground wire is required, so I'll be adding that when I make my wire-way modifications.
Links to the parts & pieces in the video (affiliate links)
------------------------------------
EG4 6000XP - bit.ly/3VS2jca
Supporting the Channel
--------------------------------------------------
There are several ways that you can help support this channel.
- Affiliate links help the channel by providing me with a small commission of the sale. It does not change the cost for you at all.
- The 'Buy me a Coffee' - link is here (on the bottom, right corner of the website): going-off-grid.com
- You can also click on the "Thanks" button under the video to support the channel.
Thank you for your support!
For more information, please check out my website with links to all the components, materials and products I have used in developing my off-grid solar system: going-off-grid.com
Chapters
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0:00 Intro
4:03 Specs
5:22 What's In the Box
8:55 What's Inside?
10:44 Inside the Wiring Cabinet
11:46 Wiring Up the Inverter
14:32 Firing Up the Inverter
16:47 Updating Default Settings
21:17 Verifying AC IN
23:05 Idle Consumption
23:50 Turning on Inverter Output
26:23 First Load
27:43 Final Thoughts & Wrap Up
#offgrid #solar #diy #solarproject #eg4 #6000xp #luxpower #currentconnected
*** Disclaimer ***
Please remember, I'm just a DIYer like you. Don't take what I'm doing as gospel truth, it's just how I'm doing things. If you're unsure of how to do something, look into hiring a professional or at least consult with a professional to determine the correct way to do things. - Věda a technologie
Update: Based on some comments from a commercial electrician (thank you Markus), I'll be removing the portion of the video from 14:32-15:35 regarding using the flex conduit as the "ground". That's no longer allowed by code (it can only be used if "the circuit conductors contained in the conduit are protected by overcurrent devices rated at 20 amperes or less."). A ground wire is required, so I'll be adding that when I make my wire-way modifications.
Links to the parts & pieces in the video (affiliate links)
------------------------------------
EG4 6000XP - bit.ly/3VS2jca
Supporting the Channel
--------------------------------------------------
There are several ways that you can help support this channel.
- Affiliate links help the channel by providing me with a small commission of the sale. It does not change the cost for you at all.
- The 'Buy me a Coffee' - link is here (on the bottom, right corner of the website): going-off-grid.com
- You can also click on the "Thanks" button under the video to support the channel.
Thank you for your support!
Glad you got one 😁😁 they work well for me so far. Can't wait to see what you think
Thanks! Should be interesting to see how it all works!
You got the man, the myth, the legend himself to comment Adam.. good stuff haha
@@JMS7410- 🤣🤣🤣
Happily surprised by this review. Glad to see you doing these again. You get into the nuts and bolts of how they work and so helpful.
Thanks. I probably would have looked at one sooner but life happens and everything costs $$$.
Awesome to see you posting again, thanks. I've been abusing 2 of these in parallel with 3 powerpro wallmount batteries for over 6 months now charging over 90% and down to 15% almost every day to keep myboff grid property going, while also not paying a penny to drive my tesla 😀 very impressed with this set up. zero issues to post about
That's awesome! Glad to hear of a long-term and steady track record!
I wonder if you could comment on the overall daily losses/overhead associated with running these. This is a much bigger system than mine, but since you have 6 months of data, it would be interesting to see what you have noticed in real world use.
@larrylp2192 this system allowed me to become completely off grid in northern California so it will pay itself off in less than 3 years especially since it's allowing me free driving for the next decade 😉 ( pg&e rates are 41 cents per kwh here and expected to go up so it was a no brainer)
@@tjmooney4181 OMG! That's more than double what we pay in Michigan.
@larrylp2192 haha I'd be mining bitcoin if I had good grid rates but ours are the worst in the country from my research so solar was a no brainer and thanks to these lux and eg4 products it became reality for much less than I expected
Got my 2 units today and a bit excited to do this all over again. My dongles came in trashed for some unknown reason, but the inverters looked good. Thanks for the video Adam.
Thanks! Have fun with them!
Thanks for doing this one. I'm fixin to turn mine on, been delayed by cold weather to pour concrete for ground mounts.
Hey Adam....it's so good to see an EG4 inverter behind you again 😂😂
Haha! Thanks Henderson!
So glad you are giving Lux Power a chance. Rodney Hunt has three in parallel on his channel.
Should be interesting to see how they perform. Yeah, I've seen Rodney's videos. Pretty slick seeing 3 in parallel!
I have been working mine hard and they have done great so far! I need to do an update as well on mine
Awesome! Glad to hear!
I have been impressed with mine as well, keep in mind though that these are HF inverters and they don't have a great track record, like you I will be powering my home with Victron, this unit I got to play around with and see how it compares, it will be running 4 mini splits over the summer in South Texas, so we will see how it performs, I am also sharing the same battery bank with this and the Victron. Thanks for another great video :)
Thanks! Yeah, I have a feeling some we'll see the same things with our tests. I do have mine wired where I can attempt to power the entire house, and I'll probably do so for some simple testing, but I know it won't last. The victrons will just keep on chugging along!
Shneider took the place of my jittery 6500ex’s. I learned my lesson on poor quality and customer disservice.
Good job 👍
Thanks!
Thank you for the shout out.
Link to your reference about the green laser.
czcams.com/users/shortsTCiFWZmPqTA?si=3J2aQ6A7KBOYAfCd
Anytime! Thanks for pointing out the quick fix!
Welcome back
haha, thanks
I used one 6000xp for my small house in the USVI, electric rates here are .43 and power outages are common. I'm now totally off grid, the wifi dongle and EG4 monitoring site is good, but I asked EG4 to add email alert notifications when certain values are reached, gen on and off, SOC or battery voltage level...
Good video!
Good idea! Thanks!
Id like to talk to you some more on your set up.. In the USVI here my self and WAPA is a joke - Thorn between getting this and the vicron.. Im on STX
@@clydedaisley7560 I'm on STX also. I'm still very happy with my EG4 system, I used Paradise freight to ship it, the only ones that will ship batteries
Agreed about Current Connected, got my Victron from them, however got the EG4 from someone in Colorado, they used Sig Solar here in Texas as a drop shipper, but got it for under $1300
That's not too bad. I know they had a sale on them at one point and I just didn't get in on the sale price.
Thank you for posting this. What’s the difference between high and low frequency inverters?
Thanks!
Here's a link that might help: www.magnum-dimensions.com/knowledge/high-vs-low-frequency-inverters/inversion-methods-explained-high-frequency-vs-low
Somehow I knew that the first victim of the test wall would be the 6000xp ;-) There were a rush of reviews and then relative silence for awhile on this unit. It will be nice to see an in depth review of it. As an owner of a small system, my number one concern has always been idle consumption / efficiency. Since I currently have only 1400w of PV, I can't afford to waste my solar production. My current setup is MultiPlus II-3000. My current range of parasitic losses is from 17w to 30w, depending on solar production, or 400w to 700w per day, against a current solar production of 500w to 6000w per day. It would be nice to see how the 6000xp performs under varying conditions of load and production.
Yeah. Seems like all the affiliates got their units for their initial reviews but then you don't hear much about continual usage/issues. We'll take a look and see how it works running the house like the other inverters I've looked at.
I will say, you probably won't find anything with lower idle consumption than the victron inverters. I'm trying to remember my 5kVA consumption and I want to say it's around 15W per inverter.
I really like your Victron system. But i wanted something that was UL listed. I’ve had 2 of these running for 3 months with 4 X Ruixu batteries as a backup system for my house. Got through a State of Michigan inspection. Very happy so far. Adding solar in the next month.
Thanks! Yeah I keep waiting for the UL process to finalize.
That's awesome that you got everything inspected and cleared through SoM. Any issues?
Nope! He was convinced there were going to be all kinds of violations. At the end he was impressed.
So how deep is the inverter can I pipe straight down into an 8” wireway? Are the knockouts 1”. I have to install one for somebody next week. No specs in the manual. Thanks in advance
It’s just shy of 6” deep. Yes you can go straight down into an 8” wireway as the ventilation all happens at the top of the inverter.
Knockouts from left to right:
Data: 1”
Battery: 2”
Load: 1 1/4”
Grid: 1 1/4”
Gen: 1 1/4”
Pv: 1 3/4”
They do seem to have different versions with different knockouts, so you probably want to double check the one you have to install.
Let me know how the install goes
thank you, my son is upgrading to 6000XP from the 6500EX via the upgrade option from SS we are looking forward to the better features and operations
Awesome! Hope things work well for you guys!
@@AdamDeLay07 hey, what size battery cable glan did you use and possibly where did you order it from? Thanks
@@norsk54472 I have a 1.5" gland in there. I think it's supposed to take a 2" though. Unfortunately I think I had it left over from another inverter install.
Something like this should work though: amzn.to/44mFjEn
Super Tight. You are on a roll. 28:29
Haha...hopefully you weren't drinking anything!
Of those that have these units in their homes what issues have you run into after it was comissioned?
I ask because I am considering upgrading from the eg4 3000ehv that I run lights among others critical loads on. I just got it and am having the led light flicker problems especially when loads are low on the unit as well as when pv input is low(evening to dusk about 60watts in). I well trouble shoot it as well as change out some dimmer switches and unplug other devices. If that doesn't fix the issues I may try this unit out.
I have mine for about 3 months now and got to say I haven't run to any issues. installation was easy and for led lights no flickering. plus my dimmers light work as they should.
Hello and thanks for the video, I also am old fashioned using 8- LIFePO4 12.8 v batteries. Could you refer me to how to find the resistor system you used? I do not want to damage my new inverter on startup.
Thanks Peter!
Usually I use my desktop power supply to pre-charge the capacitors in the inverter.
amzn.to/3x2L9yA
Here's an older video showing how I use the power supply: czcams.com/video/BPk9qF5cJzA/video.html
Thank you adam, perfect.
Look forward to you “tinkering” with 6000XP. Actually I traded-in my 6000EX and I’m waiting for the 6000XP to arrive.
Thanks Michael. Running some tests today actually. Don't wana spoil the fun though... 😁
A lot of folks have traded in their 6500ex units....Signature Solar simply couldn't properly support them. I could never get mine to work properly with my EG4 batteries. I'm hoping this EG4 rebranded Lux will work better with them.
I would agree. I too have experienced extreme difficulty in getting any support from signature solar as you mentioned
It's disappointing because at the time, they were the only ones selling EG4 products. EG4 seems to be a company that's constantly releasing new products and has decent prices. Now EG4 has multiple vendors so you don't have to be stuck with just one company.
@@AdamDeLay07 I hear ya. I sent them a design asking if the inverter would work, they ignored me. I did my own research and bought one (against my better judgment from them) for the reason stated and when I asked for support on how to set particular values or wire up the unit for a particular purpose, they just simply ignored me. Despite my repeated replies in email and phone calls. Nothing like getting ghosted from a vendor that has your money
@@whoiseverfree Sadly I know the feeling. Hopefully your system is working correctly though?
@@AdamDeLay07 funny you ask. I'm not sure yet. Still unsure if I need to wire it up bypassing the main breaker on the sub panel? The rest of it I guess is just a matter of picking the right menu items and trying to understand them setting it up for what I want to achieve.
1) Self consumption of excess PV (unless battery is below like 25% SOC, then use the PV to charge battery first to 90%) then any excess power not used by self consumption or battery charging should be sold back to the grid.
When PV is low (clouds, night, etc) use battery to supplement PV for self consumption first and the selling any excess back to the grid until battery is exhausted, then pull power from grid for loads. Never use grid to charge battery.
I created a schematic if you want to talk via PM
@@whoiseverfree you can always send me an email. Is this for the 18kPV?
Thanks!
Thanks Michael! I really appreciate it!
Is there actually a cleanable filter element inside the right side cooling intake?
Yep, looks like there’s 4 of my “favorite” screws holding a cover on the right side of the inverter which contains the filter.
Could you do a cost breakdown of what it would take to match the 6000XP capability with a Victron setup?
Without even looking at the numbers, I can tell you that a Victron system is going to be more expensive. Just with the inverters and charge controller, you’re looking at around $3600. That’s not including bus bars, Cerbo and breakers.
Victron has been around for a long time and they’re known for designing long lasting hardware that just works, but it’s at a higher price point.
The EG4 6000XP is a more budget friendly inverter.
For my eg4 6000, and two batteries;
Is it possible that when my batteries are filled up. I can stop using the battery power, and just switch over to the grid or just PV power, and preserve my battery power for when i need it?
@@Valor4Christ So you want to use the system for backup only then? I’m not really sure about that one. I’m sure some folks have done it though. I would take a look at the DIY solar forum.
My system is tied into the grid. But when I have enough PV, and or enough battery my house does not run on the gird. So when the sun is gone and i use up my battery, it switches over to the gird.
I want to make it so when it powers, the battery, it does not run off the battery power at all. And only runs off of PV or the gird.
The copper wire things are inductors and transformers (step up/down and CT). Use in the MPPT, DC-DC 48V and the HF inverter itself.
Thanks! I was hoping someone would correct me.
Time to dig out those troublesome LED lamps and see if they flicker.
I was thinking the same thing. I may have to go through watch my own videos to see which ones I had.
Please do. I just put in an eg4 3000 ehv-48 to power a critical loads panel and when loads are low some of my leds flicker/blink. Even some 29w incandescent bulbs fluctuate. I have heard of some people having issues with the 6000xp and flickering. I wanted to get the 6000xp to begin with but cheaped out as this is a 2-4 year temporary setup until we move to a "forever home build". May see about exchanging or simply selling the 3000 and getting the 6000xp.
Anyways, if you can run led tests and put the thing through the ringer for a few days and tell us about it that would be great as so many review don't do that part.
@@ry2456 Once I get some things squared away, I want to try and run my house off the inverter for 24 hours to see how it handles. I know there will be times it will probably fall back to the grid due to loads, but we should be able to see some data in the app (plus see how different devices perform).
Is this 240x50amp=12,000w? Or is it 120x25amp=3000W x2 for 6000w total? For EV charging what is the max ac output possible for a nema 14-50 outlet, 25 or 50? Also can you charge an EV at 32amps max without a battery system or would you need to lower the 32amps to 25?
From my understanding the inverter outputs a max of 25a (3000w) per leg which can be used in a 240v appliance for 6000W.
The battery-less mode isn’t recommended, but I’m guessing it would still max out at 25a per leg.
Just curious, with all the reported problems with the 6500EX transformerless inverter that cropped up near the one year mark, I'm surprised that you decided to take a risk with another transformerless inverter. Please do a follow-up video once this inverter approaches a year's worth of use.
A lot of the 6500EX issues were specifically related to the fact that Voltronics (the manufacturer) made unauthorized changes to the hardware without letting anyone know. The issues were not specifically related to the HF design (of which many inverters are heading in that direction).
You'll want to keep in mind also the use case that I have for testing out this inverter. Primarily it's going to be a charge controller for my new array this summer. The inverter aspect just gives me something else to play around with. I like digging into the details that many others don't, so we'll see how this stands up to my testing...
@tjmooney4181 mentioned in the comments of this video that he's been running a pair of these inverters for the last 6 months to run his home and his tesla.
@@AdamDeLay07 Thanks for the clarification. In reference to the Tesla owner who has been charging his EV with one of these, I would suggest being very careful. Without an output transformer to provide galvanic isolation between the DC boost state of this inverter from it's AC output, he taking a big risk of passing high amperage DC current to his Tesla's onboard charger which would not only damage the charger, but also void his EV's warranty.
@@quickquote1568 Apparently I can't tag him on this discussion, but you could find the comment and let him know. I'm pretty sure Will Prowse uses his 6kXP and 18kPV for charging his Tesla as well.
@@AdamDeLay07 Sure he does, but as I have said many times before, all MOSFETs or IGBTs in an inverter will eventually fail. Many of them will short to ground when they fail. They fail far sooner in a high frequency, transformerless inverter than in a low frequency transformer based inverter. So until that failure occurs, you may be able to effectively charge your EV.
Unfortunately, when they do fail and short to ground, because there is no galvanic isolation in a high frequency inverter, it can pass high amperage current straight through to your EV's onboard charger and damage it. It doesn't matter if your Will Prowse or Elon Musk or anyone else for that matter. Anyone who charges their EV with a transformerless inverter risks damaging their EV's charger, every time they plug their EV in. It's just a matter of time. Even in an emergency, I would never charge my EV with a high frequency, transformerless inverter.
Thanks for the video. Your attention to detail of showing everything you did in commissioning of this helped me commission my unit. The manual EG4 provides is absolutely horrendous and lacking. The manual gives you knowledge, but never context of how to apply that knowledge.
Thanks! Glad it helped.
The manual is 1000 times better than the old 6500 manual, but there are a handful of areas that could be improved upon to add more clarity.
That is a much nicer way to charge the capacitor. I like u can see they stop taking current.
Thanks. I can't take credit for the idea. I saw it on Jehu Garcia's channel.
I am with you on Victron as usual Adam haha... however, I just wish the 5kVA's were out from Current Connected when I bought the 3kVA UL listed versions in 2023 - if you have a good current connected POC let me know... maybe they will let me swap them out somehow haha. Still continuing my plan of the grid charged DIY LFP 48V280AH backup as a basement UPS for power outages and next house convert the setup to a solar w/ grid backup charger for a future EVs/PHEV or a shed solar inverter at worst ... plenty of options.... lol
Yeah, sorry about that. I don't believe they have any kind of Trade-in program. I can't imagine though that you would have any problem selling the pair of 3kVa inverters though. You could always try posting on either FB marketplace or the DIY Solar forum and see if you get any bites.
You've still got a good plan. Have you ended up using the batteries much or has the grid been fairly stable?
@@AdamDeLay07 grids been high uptime.. there was a storm that knocked out power for 3-4 days back in 2021 or 2022 and they did a bunch of upgrades during repair. Setup was just a way to satisfy wifes need for power during grid down without immediate generator hookup and also if my will prowse and other youtuber research like yourself paid off to build it myself lol
@@JMS7410- With all the research you've done, you probably know that you'll want to cycle those batteries every so often. Let them do some work before they get too bored.... 😁
@@AdamDeLay07 yep, I have the venusos on a rasberry pi and a fan which exercises the battery from 55.2v charged down to float at 53.10 and then it recharges from grid every 30 days
Current Connected Rocks, I wish I bought my equipment from them rather than the other guys.
I was shocked how fast the order to delivery was.
There is someone that did a video on how he modified it to have a hinge and clasps. Worth doing right off the bat but not if already installed.
Yeah that was Renaissance Man’s video. Was a great addition!
Why have the black borders around a smaller video?
I accidentally selected the wrong dimensions for my project.
Those are inductors on the right hand side.
Yea, 4" isn't going to work... a joke comes to mind. 28:22
Wondered who was gonna be the first to comment about the size... :D
haha, good one.
I have a 6"x6" raceway, works great 10 ft long